Major Lazer

Best of Coachella 2013: Weekend Two

The Visual Stimulations for People Who Were High Coachella's art installations -- the ones designed to impress you while you're high, aka all of them -- were particularly impressive this year. There was the tesla coil, the crane that was formerly a flower but now a praying mantis, the giant floresce ... More >>

The Five Best EDM Performers at Coachella

The first weekend of Coachella was packed with EDM revelers; in fact, dance music lovers are growing in numbers so much that every other car in line at the campgrounds checking in was blasting some sort of EDM anthem. The festival even dedicated a new, underground-leaning stage this year, called the ... More >>

New Order - Coachella - April 13, 2013

New Order Coachella April 13,2013 While over at the main stage the bulk of the Coachella crowd was enduring Phoenix with the hope that Daft Punk would come out -- they instead got R. Kelly -- a smaller but perhaps-more-enthusiastic crowd got a first-rate greatest hits set from New Order last night. ... More >>

Ten GIFs of Ultra Ravers Shaking Their Shit

By Jacob Katel We all know that there are lots of ways to become immortalized at a massive outdoor music gathering like Ultra Music Festival. Say, dancing naked while getting arrested. But your momma would probably prefer if you were immortalized among the below ravers shaking their shit at Ultra 2 ... More >>

Ariel Rechtshaid Is the Indie Super-Producer

He's not in bands, but he makes them sound a hell of a lot better

Holy Ship!! Wrap-Up: It Was the Best of Times....

There were a lot of grim faces on Monday morning as the electro-loving masses emerged off the MSC Poesia -- aka the EDM party boat Holy Ship!! -- and did a slow zombie shuffle through U.S. customs and back into the real world (aka Fort Lauderdale). Here in the industrial port the sky was overcast, a ... More >>

Holy Ship!! Day One: A Suprise Guest Whose Name Rhymes With Drillex

On Friday afternoon, nearly 3,000 raver chicks, dude guys, scenesters, club kids and DJs assembled at a port in Fort Lauderdale and boarded the MSC Poesia, aka Holy Ship!! There are two exclamation points because this is the second edition of the EDM party cruise put on by L.A.'s Hard Events. The li ... More >>

Hard Day of The Dead - Justice, Diplo - 11/3/12

Hard Day of The Dead Los Angeles State Historic Park 11/3/12 5:30 PM: I'm driving through downtown Los Angeles scavenging for a parking spot. The doors at Day of the Dead don't open until 6 so I'm under the impression that arriving early will save me from shelling out 20 bucks to stash my car and/o ... More >>

The Best L.A. Raves This Halloween

This Halloween, who wants to dress like a trick and eat a "treat"? Haha, j/k, but seriously if you want to hit a scary electronic dance music party in the coming weeks, check out our guide, below. See also: Halloween Costumes You're Guaranteed to See This Year And then keep reading for our 'Which ... More >>

Popping That Ass: The Ladies Who Won Diplo's Contest

Recently, producer and Blackberry spokesmodel Diplo released his Express Yourself EP. He simultaneously ran a contest, encouraging female fans to, um "express" themselves in odd locations, preferably by popping their butts in public, as pictured above. The hash tag #ExpressYourself was employed, th ... More >>

Music Picks: Cedric Gervais, Van Hunt, Jonathan Richman

Zedd - Dim Mak Sunday - 11-27-11

Zedd Dim Mak Sundays 11-27-11 Better than... bottle service. Last summer, Zedd hit L.A. to warm up the crowd when Deadmau5's Meowingtons Hax tour hit the Palladium for a few sold-out nights. He returned to the city last night as a headliner for his own mini tour, supporting the single "Stars Come ... More >>

Skrillex, Major Lazer, Caspa - Hard Haunted Mansion - Shrine Expo Hall - 10-29-11

Timothy Norris​See also: Our cover story on Skrillex *More photos from Hard Haunted Mansion Skrillex, Major Lazer, Caspa, Goose and others HARD Haunted Mansion Shrine Expo Hall 10-29-11 Better than... watching Skrillex on YouTube. This year's Hard Haunted Mansion -- the two-day electronic m ... More >>

Music Picks: Amanda Palmer & Jason Webley, Tinariwen, Mastodon

Also: Wadada Leo Smith's Ten Freedom Summers, Danzig and others

7 Must-See L.A. Halloween Events This Weekend

Nanette Gonzales​ No plans for Halloween? Not looking forward to trying to park in WeHo for the parade Monday night? Check out these seven other weekend events. We won't say they're spook-tacular. If we did you'd have to shoot us.

The Ettes, Sade, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Benefit for Nick Curran

Also, Kendrick Lamar, the Punk Rock BBQ, Katy B and others

How Many Adult Swim Musical Tie-Ins Can You Name?

MC Pee Pants​Adult Swim is integrating all sorts of hip music folks into its late-night shows: Odd Future shot a pilot for the cable channel, and word is that Major Lazer has something in the works. But the cutting-edge programmers have long been musically inclined. MC Chris came to prominen ... More >>

Fun Fun Fun Fest Announces 2011 Line-Up: Slayer, Passion Pit, Danzig Legacy, Public Enemy

​The line-ups at Austin's Fun Fun Fun often contain acts that other large scale festival wouldn't, but FFF doesn't shy away from the hardcore along with the soft. This year's just-announced line-up includes not just Passion Pit, Girls, and Cold Cave, but also The Damned, Kid Dynamite, and Flyi ... More >>

Music Picks: Los Lobos, Lord Huron, Calculator, Exmortus

Also, Yes, Styx, the Naked and Famous and others

Britney, Beyoncé, & Foster the People's Guide to Your Post-Apocalyptic Future

A group of angry apocakids from the video for Foster the People's "Helena Beat" (Sony Music)​As the debt ceiling languishes unraised, whole regions of the US lie under floodwaters while others dry into baked earth, and the wedding cake topper industry finds itself facing major overhauls, peopl ... More >>

LA Gay Pride Music: Prince Poppycock, Estelle, Mya and Some Very Loud Queens

Lina Lecaro Prince Poppycock is pretty in Pride.​You can always expect a few things on the music stage during LA Pride weekend: powerhouse divas belting, audacious drag queens, lithe boys shaking it in something skimpy, highly danceable grooves throughout and in between it all, and signers int ... More >>

Today in WTF: Lee Scratch Perry Becoms Animated Character for Adult Swim Show!

​Jamaican god-level genius Lee "Scratch" Perry has been kind of an amazing cartoon character for decades now, but soon you'll be able too the "kind of" from that statement. Cartoon Network has commissioned and is currently test-screening footage of a new show based on the Major Lazer project ... More >>

Mad Crushin' For Diplo At Departure

Lina Lecaro Diplo tears it up at Vanguard.​ Remember when everyone was comparing DJs to rockstars? Sometimes the comparison was warranted, but most of the time it was not. Paul Oakenfold is no Mick Jagger and Tiesto is no Bono, right? Rockstar eminence is about swagger and attitude, and even t ... More >>

Lina in L.A.: Can't You Take a Joke?

DJ Q&A: Pete Tong Says 'L.A. Is The Home Of The BIG Event' When It Comes To Global Dance Music

It's all going Pete Tong Saturday at Monster Massive.​Pete Tong, as the U.K.'s Independent newspaper put it, is "the god of dance music." With BBC Radio 1's "Essential Selection" and "Essential Mix" shows, he certainly is global clubland's most influential DJ. He's the guy who every other A-l ... More >>

Sigh ... Diplo Gets Drunk, Trashes His New Major Lazer Record, Nikki Sixx, Dubstep and Owl Movie

Diplo disses the next Major Lazer album, and his partner Switch. What's new?​Ol' "Dirty Laundry" Diplo has done it again. Last night he took to Twitter to air some grievances, and chief among those was yet another record that he's contributed to. Last time, of course, it was M.I.A.'s latest, ... More >>

Dance Club Pick: Hot-Mess Body Rock

Free Maluca Mix Tape Give Away Before the Mad Decent Block Party

Free Maluca Mix Tape Give Away Before the Mad Decent Block Party

Ten Arrests At 'Hard Summer' Dance Party Near Chinatown

Timothy NorrisHard Summer festival.​ Check out our slideshow of Hard Summer 2010. Ten people were arrested at the Hard Summer dance music festival near Chinatown over the weekend, according to CBS2. Alleged violations included trespassing and theft. All eyes were on the event, which drew sev ... More >>

This Weekend: HARD Summer, Silversun Pickups, Weezer, New L.A. Folk Festival, Power of the Riff festival

Soulwax​The two most pressing questions about Saturday's HARD Summer in downtown Los Angeles have nothing to do with quality. With Soulwax, Crystal Castles and Major Lazer topping a bill that includes the likes of Flying Lotus and Diplo, promoter Gary Richards has assembled the kind of dance ... More >>

DJ Q&A: A Few Questions For Diplo, Who Espouses NYC 'Gay Vogue House.' Really.

Diplo: Mad for Gay Vogue House​Perhaps more than any other artist, Philadelphia-bred spinner Diplo opened the electronic dance music scene to global, non-linear music and ushered in its hipster era. His dub, world and Brazilian influences are well-represented on his mixtapes and in his partner ... More >>

Music Picks: BB King and Buddy Guy, Silversun Pickups, Hard Summer, W.A.C.O.

Also Lady Gaga, Frazey Ford, Whispertown 2000, Ludacris and others

The DJs List: Spinners You Should See This Weekend -- Digitalism, Major Lazer, Dirty South

hobogestapo.comDigitalism.​It's a big weekend for the Southern California dance music scene. The Hard Summer festival is soaking up most of the spotlight with is edgy lineup and park-side location. Saturday: Hard Summer returns to Los Angeles, this time to a new venue near Chinatown. The line ... More >>

M.I.A., Thom Yorke and Buraka Som Sistema on New Major Lazer EP, 'Lazers Never Die'

Thom Yorke and M.I.A. guest​So, you know, the cat's out of the bag on whether or not M.I.A.'s one-time lover and longtime producer Diplo has relocated to Los Angeles. And as Pitchfork and others have reported, that scorned pussy (sticking with the metaphor here, folks) is now taking shots at ... More >>

M.I.A.-Headlined HARD LA Festival Has Been Cancelled, Some Acts to Be Rescheduled for August 7th (UPDATE: Not M.I.A.)

​[UPDATE: HARD fest publicists are confirming that M.I.A. will not be playing the August 7th date.] The publicists for next weekend's HARD LA festival have released the following statement: Due to events beyond our control, HARD LA M.I.A. July 17 has been cancelled. Thanks to the continued ... More >>

Low Ticket Sales Most Likely Reason for HARD LA M.I.A. Cancellation

Star ForemanFlying Lotus: one of the acts canceled with HARD LA M.I.A.​Though the LA Times incorrectly cited "security concerns" earlier today, several sources have indicated that low tickets sales were behind the surprising cancellation of the HARD LA festival that M.I.A. was supposed to head ... More >>

Music to Dagger to: Major Lazer and La Roux Team Up for Free Mixtape

Music To Dagger To: Major Lazer and La Roux Team Up for Free Mixtape

Dubstep Is ... Bang!

Today Los Angeles, tomorrow the world for U.K. bassman Rusko

Day 2: Coachella's WINs and FAILs (featuring Gossip, MGMT, Dead Weather, and Tiesto!)

On Saturday the "organizers" got some of their act together -- plus most people already had their wristbands after the clusterfuck of Day 1 -- so it was relatively painless to access the festival grounds. People were noticeably more chill throughout the day, which is what happens when you haven't ha ... More >>

Coachella Confirmations Begin to Trickle In, Rumors Abound

The Coachella message board is doing a good job of tracking the upcoming Coachella Music and Arts Festival in Indio. Now's the time that bands begin leaking confirmations, revealing their hands on MySpace, Twitter and Facebook, and basically spilling the beans one way or another. For example, this f ... More >>

2009: The Year in Obsessions

L.A. Weekly’s music editor lists the 10 records he couldn’t get out of his head

Is Eric Wareheim the Next Spike Jonze? A Look at the Adult Swim Star's Music Videos

Eric Wareheim's foray into music video directing is marked by sequins, awkward dance moves and a few downright scary make-out sessions. One half of the team that brought you Adult Swim favorites Tom Goes to the Mayor and Tim and Eric, Awesome Show! Great Job, his style is over-the-top, perhaps even ... More >>

HARD Haunted Mansion: Closest We've Been to the Third Reich

View more photos from HARD night one and night two here. Anna WebberUrgent rush for the dead alien​Halloween at the HARD Haunted Mansion brought out the big guns for L.A.'s all-age night walkers and candy ravers. The sold-out event was held at the historic Shrine Auditorium, a landmark event ... More >>

Rock Picks: Amy Millan, Dirty Projectors, Chip Taylor, LA 101

Also, Pixies, Justice, the Happy Hollows and others

Larry Tee Talks: 'L.A. Has a Better Club Scene Than New York'

Larry Tee has floated through contemporary club history like Forrest Gump on ecstasy, seemingly everywhere you'd want to be. Growing up in Atlanta, he hung out with R.E.M. and co-wrote fellow Atlantan Ru Paul's 1992 hit "Supermodel (You Better Work)." In 1990s New York he became a DJ on the club kid ... More >>

Thom Yorke Makes Surprise Guest DJ Appearance at the Roosevelt Last Night

Thom Yorke spun at Tropicana at the Roosevelt Hotel last night, according to many Tweets. The Tuesday evening gig, normally a weekly event hosted by Ashtar Command/Yum Yum/Paul McCartney DJ Chris Holmes, turned up a notch when longtime Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich showed up with Yorke, who jumpe ... More >>

Amanda Blank: Philadelphia Freedom

MC knows no genre boundaries, has little reverence for copyright, and easily surfs between street and camp

Producer/DJ Switch Interviewed: On M.I.A., Santigold, Major Lazer, Amanda Blank and 'Fidgit House'

British-based Switch is one artist who lives up to his name. Known in the super-club world for his left-field, tech-flavored up-tempo sets, the DJ born as Dave Taylor has also become a certified name-brand pop producer, having working with the likes of M.I.A., Diplo, Santogold and up-and-coming rap ... More >>

Rock Picks: Electric Daisy Carnival, Explosion in the Sky, Rodriguez

Also, DAT Politics, Mika Miko, Etta James and others

Diplo and Switch Wield Major Lazer at Bar Marmont

Diplo and Switch wield Major Lazer at Bar Marmont